1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicular input device including a single manual operating unit for operating concentratively various electronic devices mounted on a vehicle. Particularly, the invention is concerned with means for improving the operability and power saving performance of the input device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up-to-date automobiles are equipped with various electronic devices such as air conditioner, radio, television, CD player, and navigation system. If these electronic devices are operated each individually by operating members which are provided in the electronic devices respectively, there may be an obstacle to driving the automobiles. For facilitating the selection of a desired function, e.g., ON-OFF switching, of a certain electronic device without obstructing safe driving, a vehicular input device has heretofore been proposed in which various operations of various electronic devices can be conducted by operating a single manual operating unit.
A conventional technique associated with such a vehicular input device will be described below with reference to FIGS. 16 to 19, of which FIG. 16 is an interior diagram of an automobile, showing an example of installation of a vehicular input device, FIG. 17 is a side view of a vehicular input device proposed heretofore, FIG. 18 is a plan view of a manual operating unit used in the vehicular input device shown in FIG. 17, and FIG. 19 is a plan view of a guide plate incorporated in the vehicular input device shown in FIG. 17.
As shown in FIG. 16, the vehicular input device of this example, indicated at 100, is installed in a console box 200 which is disposed between the driver seat and the front occupant seat in the automobile concerned. The conventional vehicular input device 100 shown in FIG. 17 is mainly composed of a manual operating unit 110 (see FIG. 18) provided with two switches 111 and 112 for click as signal input means and three rotary variable resistors 113, 114, and 115; an XY table 120 which is operated in two directions orthogonal to each other (in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 17 and in the transverse direction in the same figure) by means of the manual operating unit 110; a stick controller 130 as position signal input means which inputs signals to an external device in accordance with an operating direction of the XY table 120 and the amount of operation of the same table; and a guide plate 140 (see FIG. 19) which is engaged with an engaging pin 160 projecting from a lower surface of the XY table 120.
The manual operating unit 110 and the XY table 120 are rendered integral with each other through a connecting shaft 150. The XY table 120 and the guide plate 140 are engaged with each other by inserting a lower end portion of the engaging pin 160 movably into a guide groove 141 formed in the guide plate 140. The guide groove 141 can be set in a desired shape which permits the lower end portion of the engaging pin 160 to move in a specific direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, a guide groove 141 which is cross-shaped in plan may be formed in an upper surface of the guide plate 140 so that the lower end portion of the engaging pin 160 can be moved up to end portions of B, C, D, and E in two generally orthogonal directions from a center A. More specifically, by operating the manual operating unit 110 the engaging pin 160 can be moved along the guide groove 141 of the guide plate 140 through the XY table 120, and with the lower end portion of the engaging pin 160 positioned in any of the end points A, B, C, D, and E in the guide groove 141, information (a position signal) on that engaged position is outputted from the stick controller 130. Therefore, by utilizing such a position signal, a function (a function to be adjusted) of an electronic device mounted on a vehicle can be selected in an alternative manner. After a desired function of the electronic device has thus been selected, it is possible to make adjustment or switching of the selected function by suitably operating the three rotary variable resistors 113 to 115 provided in the manual operating unit 110.
As shown in FIG. 16, the vehicular input device 100 thus constructed is combined with a switch unit 170 which selects a desired electronic device alternatively from among plural electronic devices mounted on the vehicle, a display 180 which displays the name of the electronic device selected by the switch unit 170 and the contents of operation performed by the vehicular input device 100, and further with a computer (not shown) which controls those devices. As a result, the plural electronic devices can be operated in a concentrative manner. The switch unit 170 is installed in a console box 200 and is provided with operating switches 171a to 171e which are disposed near the vehicular input device 100 and which are connected each independently to different electronic devices. For example, if the operating switches 171a to 171e are connected each independently to air conditioner, radio, television, CD player, and navigation system, which are mounted on the vehicle, ON-OFF switching of the air conditioner and designation of an air conditioner mode for the vehicular input device 100 can be done by operating the operating switch 171a, and ON-OFF switching of the radio and designation of a radio mode for the vehicular input device 100 can be done by operating the operating switch 171b. Likewise, by operating the other operating switches 171c to 171e it is possible to effect ON-OFF switching of the corresponding electronic devices and mode designation for the vehicular input device 100. The display 180, e.g., a liquid crystal display, is installed in a position easy to see from the driver seat, while the computer referred to above is installed within the console box 200.
The selection and adjustment of a function of the electronic device selected by the switch unit 170 can be done by operating the vehicular input device 100, but the function capable of being selected and adjusted by operation of the vehicular input device 100 differs depending on the type of the selected electronic device. For example, when the air conditioner mode has been designated by operating the switch unit 170, if the engaging pin 160 is positioned in the end portion B of the guide groove 141 of the guide plate 140 by operating the manual operating unit 110 and if the clicking switch 111 is depressed for clicking, there is selected an xe2x80x9cair volume adjustxe2x80x9d function, while if the engaging pin 160 is positioned in the end portion C of the guide groove 141 and the switch 111 is clicked, there is selected an xe2x80x9cair blow-off position adjustxe2x80x9d function. Likewise, if the switch 111 is clicked with the engaging pin 160 positioned in the end portions D and E of the guide groove 141, there are selected xe2x80x9cair blow-off direction adjustxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9ctemperature adjustxe2x80x9d functions.
After the selection of functions, the functions can be adjusted by suitably operating the rotary variable resistors 113 to 115. For example, with the air conditioner mode designated by the switch unit 170 and xe2x80x9cair volume adjustxe2x80x9d selected by the manual operating unit 110, the air volume in the air conditioner can be adjusted by operating the rotary variable resistor 113. Likewise, when xe2x80x9cair blow-off position adjustxe2x80x9d is selected in the air conditioner mode, the air blow-off position from the air conditioner can be adjusted by operating the rotary variable resistors 114 and 115. When the radio mode is designated by the switch unit 170 and xe2x80x9cvolume adjustxe2x80x9d selected by the manual operating unit 110, the volume of the radio can be adjusted by operating the rotary variable resistor 113. Further, xe2x80x9ctuningxe2x80x9d is selected in the radio mode, tuning of the radio can be done by operating the rotary variable resistors 114 and 115.
In the conventional vehicular input device 100, none of the manual operating unit 110, XY table 120, and engaging pin 160, as movable portions, are provided with clamp members for fixing them at certain positions while the manual operating unit is not operated. Therefore, with the manual operating unit 110 not operated, those movable portions are apt to vibrate under vibration of the automobile, resulting in the manual operating unit 110 vibrating or generating noise, thus giving rise to the problem that the driver or occupants are apt to have an uneasy feeling. Besides, since the components of the above movable portions vibrate under vibration of the automobile, it may be judged on the computer side that the manual operating unit 110 is operated although it is not operated actually, with the result that the display 180 is kept energized and therefore the power consumption increases.
These problems can be solved by providing a clamp member in any of the manual operating unit 110 as a movable portion, XY table 120, and engaging pin 160 and by releasing the clamped state of the clamp member at the time of operating the manual operating unit 110. However, unless the switching to the clamped state or unclamped state of the clamp member is done automatically, it is necessary to perform a special operation for releasing the clamped state prior to operation of the manual operating unit 110 and also required is a special operation for bringing the clamp member into its clamped state after the operation of the manual operating unit 110 is over. Thus, the operability of the manual operating unit 110 is impaired markedly.
The present invention has been accomplished for solving the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and it is an object of the invention to provide a vehicular input device superior in stability of movable portions and also superior in power saving characteristic.
According to the present invention, for solving the above-mentioned problems, there is provided a vehicular input device comprising a pivot shaft supported pivotably within a housing, a manual operating unit mounted on an upper end portion of the pivot shaft which projects upward from an upper surface of the housing, drive means disposed within the housing, a clamp member fixed to a drive shaft of the drive means and adapted to move, in accordance with ON or OFF operation of the drive means, to a position for clamping the pivot shaft or a position for unclamping the pivot shaft, and a sensor which detects a human finger trying to operate the manual operating unit and which turns ON or OFF the drive means automatically on the basis of the result of the detection.
If the pivot shaft with the manual operating unit attached thereto is thus clamped by the clamp member, vibration of the manual operating unit is suppressed while it is not operated, so that it is possible to prevent the driver or occupants from having an uneasy feeling. When the manual operating unit is not operated, it is possible to cut off a power supply of the display, etc. whose operation is not needed, whereby the power consumption can be reduced. On the other hand, if there is, provided a sensor which detects a human finger trying to operate the manual operating unit and which automatically turns ON or OFF the drive means to which the clamp member is attached, neither any special operation for releasing the clamped state nor any special operation for switching over to the clamped state is needed, so that the driver can operate the manual operating unit with the same sense as in the absence of the clamp member, whereby it is possible to maintain a good operability of the manual operating unit and hence of the vehicular input device.
As the above sensor it is preferable to use a photointerrupter because the photointerrupter can detect a human finger in a contactless manner, is superior in durability and small-sized, and can be installed in a narrow space such as the interior of the manual operating unit or housing.
As the drive means it is preferable to use a solenoid which does not require a large space.
The pivot shaft has a conical lower end portion, while a conical depression is formed in an upper surface of the clamp member opposed to the lower end portion of the pivot shaft. When the clamp member rises upon turning ON of the drive means, the lower end portion of the pivot shaft and the upper surface of the clamp member come into engagement with each other, whereby the pivot shaft is clamped.
Thus, the lower end portion of the pivot shaft is made conical and a conical depression is formed in the upper surface of the clamp member opposed to the pivot shaft lower end to clamp the pivot shaft, so when clamping of the pivot shaft is started in a tilted state of the pivot shaft, the tilting of the pivot shaft is corrected as the clamp member rises because the engaged portions are conical with respect to each other, thus permitting the clamping operation to be effected smoothly.
The vehicular input device is provided with a housing, a manual operating unit provided on an upper surface of the housing, a clamp member for clamping the manual operating unit, drive means disposed within the housing to drive the clamp member, and a sensor which detects a human finger trying to operate the manual operating unit and which drives the drive means automatically.
By thus clamping the manual operating unit with the clamp member, vibration of the manual operating unit is suppressed while the manual operating unit is not operated. Moreover, if there is provided a sensor which detects a human finger trying to operate the manual operating unit and which drives the drive means automatically, any special operation is needed for canceling the clamped state.